Buffalo Trace has announced the limited release of a Baijiu style spirit aged in new American oak casks. For those unaware (like myself), Baijiu is regarded as the largest selling spirit in the world, make up an estimated 31% of global sales... which is crazy because I have never heard of it until right now. Baijiu is a clear liquid usually distilled from fermented sorghum (or sometimes rice) and uses a distinct type of Qū for fermentation. Per Wikipedia, Qū is a type of East Asian dried fermentation starter grown on a solid medium and used in the production of traditional Chinese alcoholic beverages. Whew, a lot to unpack. Let's talk about the Buffalo Trace release.
For this release, it was distilled like a whiskey using traditional Baijiu ingredients of sorghum and
peas. It was then placed in three distinct casks (uncharred, charred, and toasted white oak) and aged for 11 years. Buffalo Trace then blended the three casks together and bottled at 90 proof (45% alcohol).
This release has an MSRP of $46.99 for a 375 ml bottle and will only be carried in select markets. The tasting notes are:
Nose: Chocolate, dark cherries and stone fruit.
Taste: Confectioners sugar
Finish: Sweet toffee
My Take
I had never heard of Baijiu until writing this article so it's incredible that it's the most popular spirit in the world. For this release, I think it's definitely a buy if you are lucky enough to see it on shelves in Kentucky or at the distillery.
What do you think? Drop a note in the comments.
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